Transfer apparatus for printing plate trays and method of handling the printing plates

Abstract

An apparatus and a method is provided for handling printing plates which are provided in the form of a printing plate stack on at least one storage plane. If printing plates having a particularly large format are required to set images on them in an exposer, loading cassettes for a magazine of cassettes is at least problematic. Therefore, a tray is moved out of a storage device via an adjacent lifting device into the lower region of the storage device, and is fed there to a drawer which can be moved out of the storage device. If the tray is situated on the drawer, the latter can be moved by an operator in a second horizontal direction out of the handling apparatus, in particular out of the storage device. In this position, the tray can then be loaded in an ergonomically favorable manner.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for handling printing plates, which comprises the steps of:
 providing a multiplicity of printing plates as a printing plate stack on at least one storage plane being a tray substantially without continuous lateral vertical boundaries on three sides; 
 providing the storage plane in a first section of a device for handling the printing plates, the first section being a storage device; 
 preventing vertical movements of the storage plane in the first section; 
 moving the storage plane in a first direction horizontally from the first section into a second section with a transfer element for a complete transfer of a storage plane from the first section to the second section and vice versa, the second section being a lifting device having a lifting gear for moving the storage planes vertically at least into a first and a second position, and at least one of the lifting device and the storage device having a drawer for moving the storage plane horizontally out of one of the lifting device and the storage device; 
 moving the storage plane vertically in the second section into one of the first position and the second position;
 moving the storage plane horizontally in a second direction out of a region of the first and second sections, the second direction lying substantially perpendicular with respect to the first direction, with the result that the storage plane can be accessed by an operator from three sides outside the second section. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the second position is a position lying closest to a depositing face of the second section and can be opened up by the storage plane. 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the storage plane, before being moved out perpendicularly with respect to the first direction in the second position, is moved parallel to the first direction from the second section into the first section and is moved out of the first section in a second direction which lies perpendicular with respect to the first direction. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises feeding the storage plane in the second position to the drawer, by means of which the storage plane is moved out of one of the first position and the second section. 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises:
 moving the storage plane, being a first storage plane, horizontally out of one of the first section and the second section out of the second position and can be accessed by an operator from three sides; 
 moving a second storage plane out of the first section horizontally into the second section; and 
 moving the second storage plane vertically into the first position and a printing plate of a printing plate stack of the second storage plane is separated. 
 
     
     
       6. An apparatus for handling printing plates, the apparatus comprising:
 storage planes being trays substantially without continuous lateral vertical boundaries on three sides and each of said storage planes being configured for holding a stack of printing plates; 
 a storage device for said storage planes and defining a first section, said storage device configured such that said storage planes are secured against vertical movements; and 
 a lifting device at least for moving said storage planes vertically and defining a second section, said storage device and said lifting device adjoining one another in a first horizontal direction, at least one of said lifting device and said storage device having a transfer element for a complete transfer of a storage plane from said lifting device to said storage device and vice versa, said lifting device having a lifting gear for moving said storage planes vertically at least into a first and a second position, and at least one of said lifting device and said storage device having a drawer for moving said storage plane horizontally out of one of said lifting device and said storage device, with a result that said storage plane can be reached in said drawer from three sides by an operator after being moved out. 
 
     
     
       7. The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said drawer has substantially no lateral vertical boundaries. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said drawer is disposed in a lower region of one of said lifting device and said storage device. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said lifting device is set up such that said storage plane can be moved out of said storage device into said lifting device, while said drawer is provided such that said drawer can be moved out of one of said lifting device and said storage device into a loading position which can be reached by an operator. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein at least one said transfer element is provided for moving said storage plane from a store position into said lifting device and for moving said storage plane from the second position out of said lifting device into said storage device. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said drawer is one drawer. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein said drawer is disposed in a lower region of one of said lifting device and said storage device. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said drawers includes rollers, said rollers supporting said drawer outside of said first and second sections and facilitating movement of the drawers outside of said lifting device and said storage device. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein said rollers are configured for supporting said drawer by engaging a surface upon which the apparatus is mounted. 
     
     
       15. An apparatus for handling printing plates, the apparatus comprising:
 storage planes being trays substantially without continuous lateral vertical boundaries on three sides and each of said storage planes being configured for holding a stack of printing plates; 
 a storage device for said storage planes and defining a first section, said storage device configured such that said storage planes are secured against vertical movements; and 
 a lifting device at least for moving said storage planes vertically and defining a second section, said storage device and said lifting device adjoining one another in a first horizontal direction, at least one of said lifting device and said storage device having a transfer element for a complete transfer of a storage plane from said lifting device to said storage device and vice versa, said lifting device having a lifting gear for moving said storage planes vertically at least into a first and a second position, and said storage device having a drawer for moving said storage plane horizontally out of said storage device, with a result that said storage plane can be reached in said drawer from three sides by an operator after being moved out. 
 
     
     
       16. The apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein said drawer is disposed in a lower region of said storage device. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein said drawer moves out of the apparatus. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein said drawer moves is a second horizontal direction perpendicular to said first horizontal direction. 
     
     
       19. The apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein said drawers includes rollers, said rollers supporting said drawer outside of said first and second sections and facilitating movement of the drawers outside of said storage device.